Customers purchasing a network device may install it on a network supported by a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server. The DHCP server may assign the network device an address for network communications. The network address assigned by a DHCP server is generally not known externally and may change often. One problem is determining the assigned network address for use in configuring and connecting with the network device. This is especially a problem for network devices operating in remote locations or operating in locations that are not easily accessible.
Network devices may also be installed on networks not supported by DHCP server. In some cases, these devices may be misconfigured. Examples of such networks may include private networks. As a result, such network devices may not have an assigned address and/or may not be able to effectively communicate on the network. Accordingly, discovering and configuring such network devices can be difficult, especially for network devices operating in remote locations or operating in locations that are not easily accessible.
Conventional methods used to discover and configure remotely located network devices typically require a direct (e.g., non-network) connection with the device. These methods are often cumbersome and inefficient. Examples of such direct connections include connections through a serial port utilizing a telephone line.
Thus, there is a general need for an improved method and apparatus that can discover and configure network devices. There is also a general need for a method and apparatus that can communicate with and configure a network device that does not have an assigned IP address. There is also a general need for a method and apparatus that can communicate with and configure a remote network device that may be misconfigured. There is also a general need for a method and apparatus that can communicate with and configure a remote network device without a direct connection, such as a serial connection, to the network device. There is also a general need for a method and apparatus that can determine configuration settings of a remote network device. There is also a general need for a method and apparatus that can reboot a remote network device.